The Next Time a Republican Bashes Obama While Praising Reagan, Just Show Them This

To listen to Republicans talk, you would think Ronald Reagan was the end all be all of conservatism. He is without a doubt their legend – their hero. The party should really be renamed the Grand Old Party of Reagan.

The biggest problem with this, of course, is the fact that they’re worshipping a myth. The reality of Reagan isn’t anything close to the fiction I often hear spewed from the mouths of almost every conservative I encounter.

So I thought I’d do a little comparison on a few basic facts between “Saint Reagan” and President Obama. Being that conservatives often think of the current president as someone who hates America and is the “worst president ever,” while seemingly viewing Reagan as infallible, I thought I’d compare the two on a few issues to see how they stack up.

Right now Republicans are fear-mongering against the Obama administration for trying to use diplomacy to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Negotiations, by the way, that many of our allies are currently involved in as well.

Well, if President Obama is “weakening” America by trying to use diplomacy with Iran, then what would they say if he had sold illegal arms to Iran and negotiated for the release of hostages? Because that’s what Reagan did. Could you imagine if the Obama administration was caught selling illegal weapons to Iran?

Then there’s always illegal immigration and the word “amnesty.” While it’s true President Obama has pushed for a bill that would offer a path to citizenship for some undocumented immigrants, did you know it was actually Ronald Reagan in 1986 who passed a full-on amnesty bill? In fact, the president’s bill is basically the same thing Reagan passed almost 30 years ago. Only one is considered a “conservative legend” while the other is called “un-American.” Funny how that works.

So, if President Obama’s vacations are “disrespectful and appalling,” what exactly would Republicans say about Reagan’s?

The last one I’ll cover (though there are many more) is the infamous executive order. To listen to Republicans talk, President Obama uses executive orders almost every day. He’s been called a dictator, a king, an emperor – all based on this notion that he’s abused the power of the executive order.

Funny thing though, he’s on pace to issue fewer executive orders than both Bush and Reagan – especially Reagan. So, if President Obama is an “unconstitutional tyrant” who is constantly trying to bypass Congress, what was Reagan considering the fact that he issued more executive orders than any president since Eisenhower?

Again, I could keep going on several other issues, but these are some of the bigger ones I constantly see Republicans bring up against President Obama. I didn’t even get into how Reagan nearly tripled our national debt or raised taxes several times while in office. Those are indisputable facts, but they’re topics for another day.

So the reality is, if Republicans want to keep trying to slam President Obama for the things I’ve listed in this article, then it’s time they denounce their love for Ronald Reagan. Because when it comes to these issues, “Saint Reagan” should be considered worse for conservatives than President Obama on every single one.

Allen Clifton is a native Texan who now lives in the Austin area. He has a degree in Political Science from Sam Houston State University. Allen is a co-founder of Forward Progressives and creator of the popular Right Off A Cliff column and Facebook page. Be sure to follow Allen on Twitter and Facebook, and subscribe to his channel on YouTube as well.

Comments

Thank you! Just those pesky facts that never make it into the minds of “conservatives”!

Jim Valley

The things conservatives say have been disconnected from reality for many, many years now. This is just one example among many of their total, complete rejection of the Real World. A psychologist would call this “media-induced mass psychosis”.

Fred Hausch

Grow up and get a dose of reality my friend. Dems think there is a giant bottomless pocket book. No fiscal responsibility. Reagan wasn’t perfect, But he’d out govern the socialist Obama any day. Obama is a puppet , the American emissary to a one world government. His fundamental changes are ridiculous
.

Jim Valley

The “one world government” bit kind of gives the game away.

Foxstar

Holly cow. A religious, gun nut (I’m guessing) asking Demoracts “to get a dose of reality” when it comes to fiscal responsibility. Is he even aware what debt both Ronnie and Bush did to this country? I’m guessing not. One has to wonder how much inbreeding is going on with Republicans these days.

AtheismRules

Fred – So tell me who increases and who reduces the deficit ?

In the last sixty years only ONE Democrat administration hasnt reduced the deficit – in that same period only ONE Republican administration has !!

The Republicans are in fairy land with their bottomless pocket book – and GWB set the record for the largest deficit in US history.

As the article indicates – Republicans just don’t handle facts and reality very well.

PS Want to know how many Republican administrations in recorded history have managed to reduce the deficit and reduce unemployment ? ZERO !! Not ONE !! EVER !!

And FYI four of the last six Democrat administrations managed it !!

xnerd

Tell me fred. have you gotten that big bag of money for the right yet? You know, from the slashing of all of the programs and federal services? NO? Oh, perhaps GE got your bag…..

fucking dimwit.

xnerd

Obama could have run as a republican 35 years ago dick head. You are showing that you know nothing about political ideology. He created less new spending then any president in 80 years. Its know-nothings like you that dont understand the difference between paying the Bush tab and creating new spending initiatives that Blame Obama for the tab.

Socialist LOL! Hes a Corporatist if anything

mllyjul

You are utterly clueless or willfully ignorant. The deficit has exploded exponentially under obama. You need a lesson on proper grammer too. You are correct about one thing, obama does engage in crony capitalism.

@Fred Hausch: after consulting with Mommy, er ah Nancy, and she got back to him after she talked to her “Psychic”: He sure could “out govern” just about anyone. Bwa-ha-ha-ha!

developertest03

Thats what its become though, a football game. It doesn’t matter what the policy is, its generally very similar regardless who is in power) It goes both ways.
Imagine if Snowden leaked that Bush was using the Patriot act to store cell phone conversations without a warrant? Would Snowden be a big traitor on National Security (like I have heard many Dems accuse him of).

Imagine if Bush (against any material evidence) sent us off to war looking for WMD’s that were not really present. WAIT he did, OK, then imagine Hillary Clinton pushing intervention on Syria after a chemical attack (when the chief UN inspector said evidence was murky), and shortly after it looked like a 3rd party was at play).

Imagine if Bush wanted congress to give him the authority to fast track free trade agreements against the overwhelming disapproval of workers unions. Obama is indeed doing this.

There has been a lot of hypocrisy of late. I remember (as a staunch Democrat and more liberal leaning in the 1990’s) a lot of difference between the left then and now. Back then, free speech (would never have been shirked and called freezepeach). Back then, it was (and still for the most part is) liberal environmental activists and health food nuts who were opposed to vaccinations (not all, but some, this is why California has more exemptions than Mississippi, think about it). They would have had a serious problem with the notion that the Government should be able to mandate that they can stick anything in your veins as long as (Science said it was good). Now, the same opinion, they try to relate you to Tim McVeigh living in the sovereign country of “New Freeland”. Again, a few examples and I could go on and on.

I don’t think its so much about platform, as a disdain for the opposite party.

Keith

Iran will make a better friend than an enemy.

developertest03

Syria too.

David

Alan you are delusional….

NyteShayde

Said the guy with no facts to back it up.

Jawohl

I vow to never let the facts get in the way of my (very informed) opinion.

Just like a 19 trillion dollar deficit sure lol OBUMMER IS A TRAITOR you can bury your head in the sand with the rest of them but we the people will not. Trying to bash the great communicator is pointless your obummer isn’t even 1/2 the man Ronnie was so piss off and die already so we can get this country back to normal.

Kenneth Kenny Burton

Conservatives love Regan so much that they took the name of The Nation’s Capital airport, Washington National, the name which serves two purposes, the first being named after the first president of the United States George Washington and the other also very fitting is Washington, DC. To rename it after Reagan is utterly ridiculous! To this day, I cannot call it Reagan Airport. I still call it National Airport, I live 7 minutes from it.